Just when you thought you heard the last of the swine flu, now comes word that Connecticut businesses are ill-prepared to deal with it should there be a pandemic outbreak of the disease.
Peter Gioia, Vice President and economist for the Connecticut Business And Industry Association, says that only 30 percent of businesses in the state have made contingency plans that would be implemented if there's a severe outbreak of the flu. He says that if the expected flu does hit, companies that have not planned for it could expect high absenteeism. Some federal estimates say that 40 percent of the population may experience the flu or flu-like symptoms.
One way companies can prepare themselves is to institute telecommuting, allowing as many employees as possible to work from their homes. Jean Taylor Stimolo, executive director of Rideworks says the statewide initiative, TelecommuteCT, can help companies make the transition to telecommuting. She strongly urges companies to contact TelecommuteCT as soon as possible so they can learn about a host of recommendations to prepare for a swine flu outbreak.
Gioia says a pandemic outbreak of swine flu could have such a serious impact on companies that the state's economy could be severely disrupted.
